Tobacco-stemmer.



No. 688,258. Patented Dec. 3, l90l.

' J. 0. MORRIS.

roam-:00 STEMMER.

(Application filed Sept. 26, 1901.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheet-Shaet WITNESSES I INVENTOR I m: NORRIS vzrzns co, woTo-u'moq WASHINGTON, o. c

No. 688,258. Patented Dec. 3, I901.

J. O.- MORRIS.

TOBACCO STEMMER.

(Application filed Sept. 28, 1901.)

(No Model.) 2 SheetsS haet 2.

UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ODEN MORRIS, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO MORRIS MOORE, OF DANVILLE, VIRGINIA.

TOBACCO -STEMMER.

SPIEGLFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 688,258, dated December 3, 1901.

Application filed September 26, 1901. Serial No. 76,692. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, JOHN ODEN MORRIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rich mond,in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful 1m provements in Tobacco-Stemmers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to tobacco-stemmers; and the object of the same is to construct a device by means of which the stem can be removed from a leaf of tobacco without injuring the leaf. This is accomplished by the simple and novel construction described and claimed in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of my device with parts broken away. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail of one of the pins and its spring. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the trip. Fig. 5 is a front view of the same.

Like numerals of reference designate like parts in the difierent views of the drawings.

The numeral 1 designates the frame of my machine for supporting the different mechanisms. Journaled in the frame 1 is a shaft 2, bearing a sprocket 3, which supports the rear end of a link carrier-belt 4. (Shown in fragment only.) This belt 4 is designed to serve to feed theleaves of tobacco which are placed thereon into the machine. To prevent the leaves from piling up on the belt, an inclined spring-arm 5 is mounted directly above the same, with a small intervening space 6, just sufficient to permit a single unrumpled leaf to pass. I

Mounted on each side of the carrier-belt 4 is a horizontal wheel 7, having a hub 8 bearing a rim 9. The wheels 7 are keyed on vertical shafts 10 and have rims 11, supported by spokes 11 Slidingly mounted on each wheel 7 in the rims 9 and 11 is a series of radial pins 12, bearing rounded lugs 13. Springs 14 surround the pins 12 and bear at one end on the lugs 13 and at their opposite ends on the rim 9 on the hub. The pins 12 are beveled one Way on their outer ends at 12,which normally extend beyond the rim 11 to engage the leaves of tobacco.

Mounted just above the wheels 7 and pivoted on a horizontal axis is a trip 15, bearing a downwardly-extending curved arm 16 on its rear end and a pair of rounded cams 17 on its forward end. These cams 17 are located to engage the lugs 13 on the pins 12 and force them back when the arm 16 is up and to clear the lugs 13 when the arm 16 is down. The forward end of the trip carries a strippingknife 18, having a nick 18 therein, which knife operates in combination with a lower knife 19, of similar shape, rigidly mounted in a cross-bar 20. These knives 18 and 19 are arranged to cooperate when the trip-arm 16 is up; but the upper knife 18 is raised about three-eighths of an inch clear of the knife 19 when the arm 16 is down. The raised position of the knife 18 is shown in full lines, Fig. 2, and the lowered position is shown in dotted lines.

Placed just beyond the knives 18 19 and beneath the arm 16 is a spur-wheel 21, keyed on a horizontal shaft 22. This spur-wheel 21 is designed to catch the end of the stem and pull the leaf through the knives, thereby stripping it from the stem.

A space 23 intervenes between the rear of the carrier-belt 4 and the knives, which space permits the stripped leaf to fall down. To insure the fall of the leaves and force them down, an air-blast is directed on them by a pipe 24, communicating with a blower or some source of air under pressure. Asecond pipe 25, placed below, is also employed at times. This pipe 25 communicates with an exhausting apparatus to cause a suction and draw the leaves down. The mouth of the pipe 25 is covered bynetting to prevent the entrance of leaves of tobacco.

The operation of my stemmer is as follows: Leaves of tobacco are placed upon the carrier-belt 4 stem end first and are carried beneath the arm 5, which, as already remarked, smooths them and prevents the passage of more than a single leaf. On coming from beneath the arm 5 the leaf is carried by the belt 4 to within reach of the pins 12. As soon as the leaf has reached this position itis caught by the pins 12 on the revolving wheels 7 and carried forward till the stem extends between the knives 18 19 and engages the trip-arm 16. The trip 15 is almost on a balance, and this action will force the arm 16 up and lower the forward end of the trip 15, thereby bringing the knives 18 19 together and lowering the cams 17 into engagement with the pins 12. The earns 17 Will engage the lugs 13 on the pins 12 as they come along and force the pins back out of engagement with the leaf and keep them from tearing it. The spur-wheel 21 will simultaneously catch the stem of the leaf and pull it through the knives, thereby stripping the leaf off the stem. The air-blast 24 will then force the leaf down and the stem will be carried along and dropped. As soon as the stem passes along the trip 15 will resume its normal position, thereby separating the knives 18 19 and releasing the pins 12. Another leaf will then be fed up in the same manner as before.

I do not Wish to be limited as to details of construction, as these may be modified in many particulars Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and wish to secure-by Letters Patent, is

1. In a tobacco-stemmer, the combination of a carrier-belt, wheels bearing spring-actuated pins constructed to engage the leaves of tobacco carried by said belt, a fixed knife, a trip carrying a knife located to cooperate with said fixed knife, and cams carried by said trip and constructed to engage said pins, substantially as described. 2. In a tobacco-stemmer, the combination with a carrier-belt, of a pair of wheels located adjacent to said belt and bearing a series of radially-mounted spring-actuated pins located to engage the leaves of tobacco carried by said carrier-belt, and means operated by the stems of said tobacco, to engage said pins and force them back out of engagement with the tobacco, substantially as described.

3. In a tobacco-stemmer, the combination with a carrier-belt, wheels mounted on each side of said belt and bearing a series of radially-mounted spring-actuated pins, a trip located to be operated by the stems of said tobacco and bearing cams located to engage said pins, substantially as described.

4. In a tobacco-stemmer, the combination with a carrier-belt, a stationary knife, a trip carrying a knife located to operate in combination with said stationary knife, said trip being operated by the stem of the tobacco after passing through said knives, substantially as described.

5. In a tobacco-stemmer, the combination with a pair of wheels located in the same horizontal plane and each bearing a series of radially-mounted spring-actuated pins, a trip bearing an arm and a knife, said trip being pivoted intermediate said arm and knife, and a stationary knife located to cooperate with the knife carried by said trip to stem tobacco, substantially as described.

6. In a tobacco-stemmer, a fixed knife, a movable knife, means for feeding tobacco to said knives, and mechanism constructed to be operated by the tobacco-stem after passing through said knives to actuate said knife to bring it in contact with said fixed knife, substantially as described.

7. In a tobacco-stemmer, a fixed knife, a movable knife, means for feeding tobacco to said knives, means controlled by the tobacco after passing through said knives for operating said movable knife, and means forpulling tobacco through said knives, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHhl ODEN MORRIS.

Witnesses: v

BENNETT S. J ONES, F. G. RADELFINGER. 

